Chris Robshaw and Kelly Brown will lock horns in the Calcutta Cup on Saturday

Inpho

29 Jan 2013, 12:15 pm

By Sportsbeat

England v Scotland

England coach Stuart Lancaster is hoping to ignite the spirit of Twickenham after making just two changes from the side that so memorably beat New Zealand for the opening RBS 6 Nations clash against Scotland.

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With Manu Tuilagi ruled out with an ankle problem Billy Twelvetrees has been handed an England debut and the Gloucester centre is charged with the task of repeating the 38-21 victory over the All Blacks in the Red Rose's final autumn international.

The only other change in the starting XV comes at loosehead prop with Harlequins' Joe Marler replacing the injured Alex Corbisiero.

There are three changes on the bench with Dylan Hartley, Toby Flood and David Strettle replacing David Paice, Freddie Burns and Jonathan Joseph.

England's road to redemption after a disappointing World Cup began at Murrayfield in last year's RBS 6 Nations, where England ground out an uninspiring but crucial 13-6 win to retain the Calcutta Cup, the trophy Scotland last held in 2009.

Since the Calcutta Cup was first competed for in 1879, England has won just over half of the 119 matches but Lancaster is not getting complacent despite naming a settled side.

"We are happy to stick with the team that did so well against New Zealand, especially in light of the fact that they have all been in good form for their clubs since then," he said.

"There were some very tight calls, with some experienced players coming back into contention, and I am sure the bench will have a significant impact on the game.

"We can't wait to get back to Twickenham and hopefully experience the same atmosphere as the autumn when the crowd was superb. It means a lot to the players to have such support in the ground and watching on television.

"Last year we were the interim group going up to Scotland, probably not expected to win, and it's amazing how much you can galvanise a team in that situation.

"New Zealand counts for nothing come Saturday, we have to make sure that we still respect Scotland."

There is also a debutant in Scotland's ranks, withNew Zealand-born wing Sean Maitlandbeing thrown in at the deep end by interim Scotland coach Scott Johnson.

Johnson has also handed recalls to hooker Dougie Hall, who will make his first Scotland start for six years, as well as back row Johnnie Beattie who has been revitalised since a summer move to Montpellier.

Maitland, 24, has made just a handful of appearances for Glasgow Warriors since his switch from the Crusaders this season but Johnson has no qualms with his decision that he hopes can help end their 30-year wait for a win over England at Twickenham.

"Sean Maitland is very proud to be pulling on the Scotland jersey for the first time," said Johnson.

"His family will be rapt because they raised him in New Zealand always reminding him of his Scottish heritage, getting up in the early hours of the morning to watch both the Five and Six Nations games on the TV.

"He's shown he can play footy with the best of them and the impact he's made since arriving at Glasgow in the autumn has underlined what we'd seen of him playing for the Crusaders in Super Rugby.

"I will not have to say too much in terms of the challenge at hand, especially from a historical point of view.

"The fact is that every team goes to Twickenham with the same aim and objective and we are no different.

"There is a lot of pressure on us, just as there is them. We have got a lot of supporters that we need to do well for as well as for ourselves."